Indoor workout infuses yoga, Pilates, ballet and weights

To hear Summerlin resident Christy Phelps describe it, Pure Barre is not for the faint of heart.

“The workout is all in parts, starting with the warmup, then we work on the thighs, the seat, the abs and so on,” she said. “Each time you think, ‘OK, it’s almost done,’ and then you get to the next part and it’s harder.”

Despite the challenge, Phelps signed up for two more months of classes.

“I absolutely love it,” she said. “I’ve been doing Pilates for three years, and I needed a break from that. I thought I was in shape until I came here.”

Pure Barre is a ballet-based workout that infuses elements of yoga, Pilates, ballet and weights. There are locations in nearly every state. Locally, it is taught at Pure Barre Vegas Fitness Center, 3330 S. Hualapai Way, Suite 140.

Celina Nightengale has been teaching classes there for about 18 months and has been a Pure Barre instructor more than three years. She came to Las Vegas from Los Angeles when she was hired for “Rock of Ages” at The Venetian, where she works as an onstage swing. That means she’s trained to cover all the dancers and one of the leads. It’s a rigorous job, but she still is scheduled to teach two classes and fills in to teach any class she can when she isn’t performing or taking classes to keep her dance skills sharp.

“It’s a total body workout set to music,” Nightengale said. “Dancers love it, and they love to teach it. Anyone can do it. You don’t have to be a dancer, but there are the fundamentals of dance in it.”

The Denver native earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and marketing from the University of Denver. She received a full scholarship to EDGE Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, and it was there that she discovered Pure Barre and began teaching at the Beverly Hills location. She sought out the Las Vegas location when she came here.

“I knew I had to keep teaching because I love it so much,” Nightengale said. “I really love fitness, and you might call me a workaholic.”

The classroom looks similar to a ballet studio, with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a ballet barre, the waist-high banister-like object with which ballet dancers work out. The obvious differences are the low lighting, padded, carpeted floor and small free weights and stretch cords about the room.

“We start with Pilates and yoga to warm up,” Nightengale said. “Then we move into weight work and the barre and literally hit every inch of your body. We finish up with stretching. At the end of 55 minutes, you’re sweating, and you feel great about yourself.”

For more information, visit purebarre.com/nv-lasvegas or call 702-525-3454.

Contact East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.